


1: damn you, squirrel.

by starspangledpeaches



Series: the same earth; except, we're fake. [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Sam is angry, bruce made an oopsie, establishing plot, uhh, where did steve and bucky go?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25397047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starspangledpeaches/pseuds/starspangledpeaches
Summary: Six stones. Two men. A journey of returning said six stones. Yes, a daunting task indeed. Nothing could go wrong if they stick to the plan, right?
Series: the same earth; except, we're fake. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1839415
Kudos: 2





	1: damn you, squirrel.

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys! this is part of a series i'm going to be creating where steve and bucky end up in an alternate reality, aka our earth as we know it. it's time to completely wreck the fourth wall. who needed that stupid thing anyway?

There was an aura in the air quite indescribable. For the first time in a long, long time, Steve Rogers felt like the world was moving forward again. With his head high and his suit heavy on his shoulders, he walked steadily with Sam Wilson by his side. The leaves crunched under their boots as Steve approached the pedestal, one hand situated loosely on his belt while the other clutched a steel case that held all the precious stones in desperate need of returning.

“You know, if you want,” Sam began, a smirk appearing amidst his sharp cheekbones, eyes radiating a familiar gleam of adventure. “I could come with you.”

Steve returned the smile, gaze squinted in thought, though his smile was far from hidden. He knew what was about to happen next. 

“You’re a good man Sam,” Steve reassured his dear friend, his grip tightening on the hard case. “This one’s on me, though,” He nodded, turning his head to look at the brunette who stuck with him through thick and thin, almost forgetting to mention, “...and Bucky.”

Bucky flashed Steve a small smile, hands in his pockets, waiting patiently. Sam scoffed--- obviously in a joking manner, shaking his head. But no other words needed to be said. Sam understood without much question. It was a done deal. Steve and Bucky were about to go on a journey that basically determined the fate of another alternate timeline, and probably their current one. Who else would’ve Steve wanted to help him place six detrimentally life-changing stones back in their place other than Bucky Barnes? 

Steve stepped up to his friend, his pal, his Bucky. His baby blues lit up almost anxiously, though his smile stayed calmly hanging. “Ready?” He asked simply, more or less rhetorically, since Bruce was already set up and waiting for the signal. 

Bucky gulped lightly, shaking his head humorously, wondering how he’d gotten in this predicament. Oh wait, it was Steve Rogers he was going with. Of course, that’s how. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his best friend; as sappy as it was, it was undeniably true. “I hope so.” He huffed out an exhale, glancing at the staircase he turned his body to walk toward before glancing back at his blonde-haired companion. 

“It’s gonna be okay, Buck,” Steve responded with a heart full of sincerity, already heading up the staircase, one foot at a time with the case, though he glanced back to see that Bucky had already begun to follow his tracks, a hand going through his brushed hair. Steve let out a relieved exhale at the sight before turning around, pressing the button on his wrist to activate his nano-suit without much thought. His mind was already reeling and ready to just leave already and get this all over with so he could come back to Earth and finally take the time to resign from his Captain America position and live out the calmer life he’d always wanted. 

Bucky had eventually clicked on his suit as well, though it took a moment to figure out exactly where on the wristpad to click. Thanks to Clint who gave him his suit to borrow for the time-hopping journey, Bucky wasn’t going in unprotected. 

“How long’s this gonna take?” Sam called out to Bruce who was flipping switches as fast as an evil scientist. 

“For them, as long as they need. For us, five seconds,” Bruce looked up at Sam with a nervous glint in his pupils, but Sam washed away any doubt of this _also_ insane plan, and instead turned around to observe his two friends shuffle closer together, so they stood back to back in the center of the small teleportation circle, postures upright, faces rigidly looking forward. 

“You ready Cap?” Bruce said, and Steve nodded briefly, lips tightening into a straight line.

“You too, Barnes?” 

Bucky gave the same, small nod, eyes still focused forward, awaiting the moment they’d have to leave for god knows how long.

“All right, we’ll meet you two back here, okay?” Bruce stated, pressing a few more buttons, focused on the task at hand.

Steve inhaled slightly, chest rising. Bucky could feel Steve’s movement against his back but he remained quiet. He was just as anxious as Steve was.

“You bet.” Steve let out with a rigid tone, eyes scanning the last he’d see of the green grass and brown roots of the beautiful, growing trees before they landed on Sam Wilson. Bucky still kept his eyes stationed on the lake in the distance, steadying his thoughts in the same process he used to do back when he lived alone and wrestled with more trauma than he ever had to endure. One breath in, one breath out, fists clenching and relaxing in sync. 

Bucky hadn’t noticed Steve’s hand gently placed over his wrist, rubbing small, soothing circles. There wasn’t a moment in time where Steve seemed to glance over Bucky’s emotions--- as if the two of them were connected by some sort of thin, metaphorical emotional rope. Bucky was forever thankful, though, and he felt his clenched fist releasing, his fingers flattening.

“Going quantum…”

Steve was quick to retract his hand as Bruce began the countdown, but Bucky kept that gesture in mind as his thoughts descended into a meditative trance. Steve, on the other hand, was staring up at the sky now, his breaths slow and tenacious. 

“Three, two…” Bruce began, flicking and switching on every switch his one arm could reach at once, his eyes scanning everything to come to the solid conclusion that no malfunctions would occur. 

“One.” 

Poof. In an instant, Steve and Bucky had vanished into thin air. The energy waves were still surging around the forces of the quantum machine, and Sam was hesitant in watching, his eyes flicking back and forth between Bruce and the empty pedestal. 

“And returning in five…” Bruce was still staring down at his so-called motherboard, but eventually, his eyes were led to watch the screen with two flashing dots on a grid— some sort of tracking device Banner created to keep them in line. 

“Four… three… two…” Bruce continued, but a squirming sound had startled the gamma radiated man, his head jerking to the side to see a squirrel humbly bouncing its way up onto the control pad. Bruce, almost immediately, began to swat at the squirrel, but he wasn’t anticipating the accidental swing his cast had taken when he jerked, regrettably aimed straight toward a switch that fucked up the entirety of the tracking, and unfortunately the time gap. 

“What the hell’s going on?” Sam’s voice boomed as he ran hastily up to Bruce, watching the bigger man struggle relentlessly with the squirrel, broken imprecations spilling from his mumbling lips. 

“Bruce, what happened?” Sam’s anger was reeking, and Bruce was nervously pressing every button he could now that the squirrel had successfully scampered off into the distance. 

_Damn you, squirrel._

Pupils dilated and heart racing, Bruce took a look up at the screen once for the millionth time in the span of a few seconds to the two beeping dots which were no longer. Wait, what? 

Bruce was truly frantic now, and Sam wasn’t having it. “Goddamn it, Bruce, what did you do!?” Sam yelled, shoving Bruce over to see what was on the computer screen— or, well, what wasn’t. 

Click, flick, click. The incredible Hulk with seven PhDs had completely messed it up, and no button was able to solve the mystery of where exactly Steve and Bucky were now, and how they were going to get back. All Banner was able to muster up was a defeated sigh, his hand running through his hair when he realized that he was unable to undo the mistakes he’d just detrimentally made. 

“I lost them,” Bruce muttered, and Sam felt his heart drop into his stomach. 

“You LOST THEM!?”


End file.
